The Boy Who Remembered Tomorrow

Chapter 4: The Fourth One

Elias couldn't breathe.

The girl stood only a few steps away.

Silver eyes.

Dark hair.

A face that looked strangely familiar.

Not familiar like someone he'd met before.

Familiar like a forgotten memory.

"Who are you?" Elias whispered.

The girl didn't answer.

She simply stared at him.

Then she smiled.

"You finally found me."

Elias stepped backward.

Mira immediately moved in front of him.

"Don't come any closer."

The girl's smile disappeared.

"Mira."

The way she said her name made Mira freeze.

"You remember me."

Mira's hands tightened.

"I remember what you did."

The girl tilted her head.

"What I did?"

"You destroyed everything."

Adrian stepped into the room.

"Enough."

The girl looked at him.

"Still protecting him?"

Adrian didn't respond.

Elias looked between them.

"You all know each other."

Nobody answered.

His frustration exploded.

"STOP!"

The room went silent.

Elias pointed at the girl.

"Who are you?"

Then at Adrian.

"Why do you know me?"

Then at Mira.

"Why does everyone know things about my life that I don't remember?"

His voice cracked.

"I deserve an answer."

The girl slowly stepped forward.

"My name is Lyra."

Elias stared at her.

"Lyra..."

She nodded.

"I was there the night your mother opened the door."

Elias's heart sank.

"What happened?"

Lyra looked toward the photographs covering the walls.

"Your mother discovered something she wasn't supposed to find."

"What?"

"The truth about time."

Elias frowned.

"Time?"

Lyra nodded.

"Time isn't a straight line, Elias."

She touched one of the photographs.

"It's a circle."

The image changed.

Elias saw himself as a child.

Then as a teenager.

Then as an adult.

Then—

The images began repeating.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Elias stared in disbelief.

"That's impossible."

"No," Lyra said.

"It's already happened."

---

A loud sound came from outside.

BOOM.

The entire building shook.

Mira looked toward the doorway.

"They found us."

"Who?" Elias asked.

"The Watchers."

Adrian's expression hardened.

"We need to leave."

Lyra shook her head.

"No."

Everyone looked at her.

"If we leave now, he wins."

"Who?" Elias asked.

Lyra looked directly at him.

"The man with the silver watch."

Elias remembered him.

The stranger in the frozen street.

"What does he want?"

Lyra hesitated.

"You."

"Why?"

"Because you're the only person who can open the final door."

Elias looked at the black door.

"What's behind it?"

Lyra's expression became serious.

"Your original timeline."

Elias felt a chill.

"My original timeline?"

"Before it was changed."

Mira stepped closer.

"Someone went back eleven years and changed one event."

Elias looked at her.

"Which event?"

Mira looked at Lyra.

Lyra answered:

"Your death."

Silence.

Elias stared at her.

"My... death?"

"You were supposed to die eleven years ago."

Adrian lowered his eyes.

"But you survived."

Elias shook his head.

"Then why don't I remember any of this?"

Lyra answered quietly.

"Because your mother sacrificed her memories to save you."

Elias felt tears forming in his eyes.

"My mother..."

Before anyone could say more, the black door began to shake.

Something was hitting it from the other side.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Mira stepped backward.

"He's here."

Adrian pulled something from his jacket.

A small black key.

"We have seconds."

Elias stared at the key.

"What does it do?"

Adrian looked at him.

"It opens the door to your real past."

Another impact.

The door cracked.

A silver light appeared through the gap.

Lyra grabbed Elias's hand.

"When the door opens, don't believe everything you see."

"Why?"

"Because your enemy knows your memories better than you do."

The door exploded open.

A wave of light filled the room.

Elias closed his eyes.

When he opened them again—

He was standing in a completely different place.

A house.

His childhood home.

Everything looked exactly as he remembered it.

Except for one thing.

There were four children standing in the living room.

Young Elias.

Young Adrian.

Young Mira.

And Lyra.

Elias stared.

"I remember three of us."

Lyra smiled sadly.

"That's because you were the one who forgot me."

Young Elias suddenly turned toward the window.

A man was standing outside.

The same man.

The silver watch.

But this time, he looked younger.

Much younger.

Elias watched as the man entered the house.

His mother ran toward him.

"No!"

The memory froze.

Elias stepped closer.

He could hear his mother's voice.

"Please. Don't take him."

The younger version of the silver-watch man smiled.

"I'm not here for him."

He looked toward young Lyra.

"I'm here for her."

Elias's eyes widened.

"What?"

Lyra appeared beside him.

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Now you understand."

The memory started moving again.

Young Lyra screamed.

The man raised the silver watch.

The room filled with white light.

And young Elias collapsed.

The memory shattered.

Elias returned to the dark room.

Mira was standing beside him.

"What happened?"

Elias looked at Lyra.

"You weren't the enemy."

Lyra shook her head.

"No."

"Then why did you disappear?"

Lyra looked toward the black door.

"Because I was taken."

"By him?"

She nodded.

"And now he's coming back."

A slow clap echoed through the room.

Everyone froze.

The man with the silver watch stepped through the doorway.

But this time, he wasn't alone.

Behind him stood dozens of people.

All wearing black.

All holding silver watches.

The man smiled.

"Enough memories."

He looked directly at Elias.

"Now it's time to remember who you really are."

He raised his hand.

Every silver watch began ticking at the same time.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

The room started disappearing.

And Elias heard a final voice inside his head.

His mother's voice.

"If you're hearing this, Elias..."

A pause.

"I've already failed."

Then the world went completely white.